Aeschild
"Strife is mankind's greatest source of growth! Do you maggots think you will become great heroes of the realm by sitting on your asses?! No! You will march to war like the good little soldiers you are. The grind of warfare will shape you like tools on an anvil. The battlefield is a place of blood, pain, scarcity and disease. They will be your test to see who is worthy and who is not. Those who live are worthy. Those who die... Well, make sure to fill in the forms, so maybe your corpses can be useful to the Empire even if you maggots are not!" -Overheard at a Caylixian training yard. Aeschild is one of Caylixia's up-and-coming new necromancers. Though she has yet to perform any truly outstanding deeds, she has been consistently useful and has finished her missions with perfect, if somewhat ruthless efficiency. What is less known is that she is a vicious worshiper of the Four Horsemen, seeking naught more than to bring her dread masters into the Blood War. History Aeschild was born to a mercenary and a camp follower for the mercenary band known as the Crimson Stars. The group was infamous for taking any dirty job that came their way and performing it with ruthless efficiency. They honored what agreements they made, as long as no unforeseen consequences arose - they were quick to break their oaths if they believed said oaths would lead them to their destruction. Her father was unknown to her - only one of many soldiers her mother serviced. Always a rowdy child, Aeschild was raised on the mindset of the mercenary group. No job was too dirty, but no oath was unbreakable either. Even in youth, Aeschild had often displayed a mean streak and an unusual force of personality. At the fresh age of 16 she suddenly revealed mystical powers, small magical tricks that appeared to stem from some deific force. Almost simultaneously she gained a sense of greed, and began to make a habit of looting the battlefields the band came across whenever she could. He trained her to harness her abilities to bring great destruction and then raise armies from the ashes - theoretically, of course. He also revealed to her the group's darkest secret - that they worshiped the Four Horsemen, believing that they represented power in its purest form. They revealed her Oracular abilities stemmed from the Four as well, granted to her in a ritual performed by her seniors. All evil things come to an end, however. The company was decimated and scattered during a battle with the Thii not long after the Burning of Prospero, leaving Aeschild as one of the few survivors. Left with only a pouch of saved gold and the basics of the magical might she had been taught, the young woman decided it was time for her to start making a name for herself - and to resurrect her patron's old army from the ashes. After several months of adventuring solo, Aeschild realized she needed a place to practice her skills as a necromancer. Without the resources and senior casters of the Crimson Stars there was no longer a safe way to practice the necromantic aspects of her abilities. Being a soldier wasn't so different from being an actual mercenary, and Caylixia would support her methods even if it did not support her goals. After several months of active military service she now bore the rank of Dread Lieutenant, Appearance Go more in-depth with your appearance than the Physical Description section of the infobox and pictures allow. Personality At the surface Aeschild is simply an introverted, irreverent woman who usually merely wants to be left alone to the craft. She shows an almost morbid interest in biology and Friends Imperial Caylixian Empire: As both a member of the Empire and its Military, Aeschild serves the officers of the Caylixian military as ordered and seeks to move up in the ranks. Enemies Celestials, Paladins and all those who would oppose either her Caylixian commanders or her Daemonic overlords. Aspirations Aeschild's single goal is to accrue power. Whether by military service or by spreading the death and destruction desired by her dread masters, Aeschild will do anything in a bid for power.